Linux Directory Structure

[Neo]

" / " is the root Directory in Linux. " /root " will be the home directory for the root user (administrator). root will have the full administrative power over the system and other users. There are other directories like / home, /bin, /sbin, /lib etc. Each user will have there own home directory.

/ ---------> Root or the main directory
|---root ---------> Home directory for the root user
|---home ---------> User's home directories
| |----ftp ---------> Users services are listed here
| |----httpd
| |----samba
| |----user1
| |----user2
|---bin ---------> Commands needed during bootup and also needed by normal users
|---sbin ---------> Like bin but commands are not intended for normal users.
|---proc ---------> This file system is not on a disk. virtual directory.
| |
| |----n --------> A directory with info about process number n.
|
|---usr --------> Contains all commands, libraries, man pages etc for normal operation.
| |
| |----bin ---------> Almost all user commands.
| |----sbin ---------> System admin commands not needed in the root file system.
| |
| |----include ---------> Header files for the C programming language.
| |
| |----lib ---------> Unchanging data files for programs and subsystems
| |----local ---------> Locally installed software and other files.
| |----man ---------> Help pages
| |----info ----------> Info documents
| |----doc ---------> Documentation for various packages
| |----tmp
| |----X11R6 ---------> The X windows system files.
| |
| |----X386 ---------> Like X11R6 but for X11 release 5
|---boot ---------> Files used by the bootstrap loader, LILO. Kernel images stored.
|---lib ---------> Shared libraries needed by the programs on the root file system
| |----modules ---------> Loadable kernel modules.
|
|---dev ---------> Device files for devices such as disk drives, serial ports, etc.
|---etc ---------> Configuration files specific to the machine.
| |----skel ---------> For home directory creation.
| |----sysconfig ---------> Files that configure the linux system for networking etc.
|---var ---------> Contains files that change for mail, news, temp files, etc
| |----file
| |----lib ---------> Files that change while the system is running normally
| |----local ---------> Variable data for programs installed in /usr/local.
| |----lock ---------> Lock files. Used by a program.
| |----log ---------> Log files from programs such as login and syslog etc.
| |
| |----run ---------> Files that contain information about the system.
| |
| |----spool ---------> Directories for mail, printer spools, news and other spooled work.
| |----tmp ---------> Temporary files that are needed to exist for longer time.
| |
|---mnt ---------> Mount points for temporary mounts by the system administrator.
|---tmp ---------> Temporary files. Programs running after bootup should use /var/tmp.